_Photo by Clarke and Hyde._]
]
The artist, the botanist, and entomologist are numbered among the
holiday seekers; and the indolent individual, “come to do nothing but
lazy around,” is also in evidence, of course. All alike are happy as the
days come and go and the summer wears on. Not the least enjoyable time
is the late evening, when the wherries and yachts are moored for the
night and the canvas camps are lit up. The solemn quietude of Broadland
reigns on all sides, and than Broadland at night, can anything be more
quiet, more peaceful, more soothing? The distant barking of a dog, the
sound of song or music floating on the air from some craft, the splash
of oars as a belated boating party passes by on the smooth surface of
the stream, the flop! of a big bream “priming”—all these only go to
accentuate the actual and wonderful quiet. So quiet is it, indeed, that
as our ardent angler, out fishing for the night, lights his pipe, the
scratch of the match on the box may be heard for some considerable
distance. Thus the summer wears away; the end of the holiday comes all
too soon, and the Broads lie neglected—or nearly so.
Yet the opportunities for sport after the holiday folk have departed and
before they return are many. Those sportsmen are not wanting who will
tell you that they prefer the room of the holiday seekers to their
company, and that “sport on the Broads has gone to the deuce since the
advent of hordes of cheap trippers and big boys with boats.” This is,
however, too severe an estimate of the character of those who frequent
the Broads during the summer. Other and probably more sound reasons
could be given for the falling off in sport of late years; although it
must be acknowledged that the presence of large crowds through the
summer must have a more or less bad effect on sport all the year round.
That sport on the Broads has declined is, unfortunately, beyond doubt.
Granted this, however, there still remains satisfying sport available if
only the sportsman will adapt his methods to the altered condition of
affairs.
[Illustration: